


the only one I know, the only one on my mind.

by romantasha



Series: the superverse [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 20 Things, Alternate Universe, F/M, Idiots in Love, Mild Sexual Content, Side Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:09:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26960431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romantasha/pseuds/romantasha
Summary: There were so many opportunities she could've told him about Quake. So many times he should've figured it out himself.He wonders if she thought about it. He wonders if the time and place would've made a difference.Sometimes, there's talks about other worlds; parallel universes. A different timeline for every little decision you make, every word you say, every step you take.Daniel is fairly sure he'd fall in love with Daisy Johnson in every single one.-In which Daniel has 10% more of a brain and/or Daisy has 10% more courage. Set as an AU to You've Got That Power. This probably doesn't make much sense if you haven't read that fic.
Relationships: Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Series: the superverse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967422
Comments: 32
Kudos: 82





	the only one I know, the only one on my mind.

**Author's Note:**

> STOP!
> 
> Some important info before diving in:  
> 1\. Fairly big spoilers for You've Got That Power. Do not proceed if you are not caught up.  
> 2\. This fic will make no sense if you haven't read You've Got That Power. I would suggest reading that first.  
> 3\. For those that have read You've Got That Power and are caught up, you'll probably still be confused.
> 
> This is, essentially, an AU within an AU. Or, well, a bunch of different AUs within an AU. Each segment is separate. Essentially, it is a set of 20 times the Quake reveal could have happened. Some involve some minor divergence (an explosion is delayed, so they have more time to talk, etc), some just involve Daniel having more of a brain or Daisy actually confessing.
> 
> Some are even more divergent, as alternate ways the fic was supposed to go. I think I've mentioned some of these alternate endings, so yeah. That's here.
> 
> A few of these were suggested by readers, as well. Thank you to everyone who suggested anything!
> 
> Enjoy the wild ride!

**1.  
** _(alt.)_

  
  


There's a world where things work out differently.

Daisy Johnson doesn't hesitate to step into S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and register herself as a super. The super known as Quake. The file sits somewhere in the Chief's locked cabinets, filed away until it's needed.

It's never needed. She's assigned a handler, and she is a model superhero. Everyone adores her, and that's that.

In this world, she and Daniel Sousa rarely pay attention to each other. He's just another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and she's just another super. There's nothing that draws them together, makes them connect.

(Of course, she does cast her eye in his direction every now and then. She wonders about his story. About why he's a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. Her friends tell her he's stern, but kind. He cares.

He, of course, finds her fascinating. He knows her identity, he knows her history, but there's something that still intrigues him.)

None of it matters, in the end. Their lives go different paths. She reveals herself as Quake, and then nothing else happens.

  
  
  
  
  


**2.  
** _(ch.1)_

  
  


The second Daniel Sousa steps into his office and sees a blonde beauty sitting where she absolutely isn't supposed to, he has a gut feeling.

"Who the hell are you?" he asks her, voice stern. She keeps her head down, still scanning the files, seemingly confident and like she's meant to be there.

"Who I am is on a need-to-know basis," she tells him calmly.

Daniel looks back and points at the sign on his door, signaling that this is his office. "I need to know."

She smiles slyly and looks up at him while removing her glasses. "Ah, no, you don't, because I don't exist and we never met. Now, can you shut the door, please?"

He is quick to narrow his eyes at her. "Not to be rude, but it's been one of those mornings," he says as he approaches her, "so produce some credentials or I'm gonna put you in handcuffs."

She stands and pulls her flawless fake I.D. from her pocket. "Here," she says, handing it to him. He takes it. "I should inform you that's not my real name. My initials are 'C', 'I', and 'A'. Catch my drift?"

_Skye._

He looks up from the I.D. card. "Subtle, but yeah, I get it. I'm also gonna call your bosses in Foggy Bottom and confirm it."

"Oh, please do," Skye says, trying to play along with his ruse without suspicion. She picks up the phone and hands it to him. "I'm sure they would love to learn how the West Chief of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't know that the C.I.A. is actually located in Langley." At the look Daniel gives her, she grins. "Did you think you'd trip a C.I.A. agent with the headquarter location?"

"It would've tripped up a civilian," he says simply, and she can't argue with that.

"Feel free to call my boss" Skye replies, "but it's just past noon on the East Coast and we all know how Frank just loves his lunch time. So, we can sit here for an hour and wait for him, or we can have a quick chat and I'll be out of your hair in five minutes. I am aware that you have a meeting with the one and only Captain America in fifteen minutes, so I believe the latter may be in your best interest."

Daniel freezes, his jaw locking. "How do you know about that?"

"C.I.A. We know all," she tells him with a grin.

Daniel knows for certain that this girl isn't C.I.A. because he knows Frank. He knows how he doesn't pay attention to lunchtime, first of all. Second of all, Frank's jurisdiction has absolutely nothing to do with supers, so sending an agent here makes no goddamn sense.

But, she knew that he had a personal meeting with Steve and Peggy, and she referred to him as Captain America.

Instead, he has a different theory.

He knows, vaguely, that Captain America worked with Quake the previous night. He knows he called the super as they were keeping watch of their target.

("Who's that?" a feminine voice asked from the distance.

Daniel heard as Steve replied, "Just some guy from S.H.I.E.L.D. Gotta meet with him tomorrow.")

"Even about you, Mr. Sousa," she continues on. "How you were a marine in the war until you took shrapnel in Iraq. Helped Peggy Carter to build this whole place and created the Index. Were an integral part of making sure the Avengers got to the Battle of New York. And those are just the investigations that I am cleared to talk about."

As she talks, Daniel begins to investigate his theory. She seems to have a Ghost Rider file open on his desk. Quake's been investigating Ghost Rider as well.

He finds himself looking at the file cabinets. He looks to see if she tripped the traps he placed, just to see if anyone meddled with his things.

The Quake files, huh?

He pulls one out and turns around.

"Why are you really here, Quake?" he asks, shoving the file to her.

Her face falls.

Bingo.

Smugly, Daniel quickly restrains her with power immobilizers. He isn't sure if she's just too in shock to react at all, or if she's deciding it's better to let him arrest her. The latter, at least, makes him more inclined to work with her in the future.

They only make it halfway through the base — in the direction of the containment pods — for Quake to get recognized.

"Agent Johnson?" Piper squeaks out as they pass. "What's going on? Why do you have different hair?"

Agent Johnson, huh?

  
  
  
  
  


**3.  
** _(ch.2 / ch.4)_

  
  


Dinner with Steve and Peggy is awkward, and Daniel is especially silent. Skye stays on his mind all day. He knows it's not her real name, but he tries digging through old files. He asks around subtly, without spreading that S.H.I.E.L.D. was broken into — and finds that no one's seen her or heard of her.

Then, he finds himself thinking more and more about Quake. About _her_ mystery.

He wonders if she's got a day job, or if she's out there cooking an extravagant roast for her loved ones. If she even has loved ones. His thoughts get more intense, as he wonders for the millionth time where she is, what she believes in, and why she hasn't come to S.H.I.E.L.D.

They've never managed to capture her and he thinks that perhaps they never will.

"Daniel?" Peggy interjects his thoughts, looking at him worriedly. "You still with us?"

"Yeah, sorry," he replies, shaking his head a little. "Just...thinking."

"About the girl in your office?"

"No," he says. "But that's bothering me, too."

"It is a bit worrisome," she agrees. "But, Daniel... The Watchdogs?"

"I don't think she's a Watchdog," Daniel clarifies. "She seemed to be a fan of Quake. And she said she thought that Ghost Rider could lead S.H.I.E.L.D. to the moles."

This catches Steve's attention. "You said this girl knew that I was Captain America. How?"

"No clue," Daniel tells him. "She said she knew I had a meeting with Captain America, but my meeting was listed as with Steve."

Steve looks back down, his brow furrowing. "I only told Quake."

Now, this makes Daniel's eyes widen. She wasn't a _fan._ She _is_ Quake.

-

The girl turns around slowly. He steps closer.

Daniel's hope fades when he recognizes her as that random I.T. girl he met the day before. Agent Daisy Johnson, he thinks her name is. It's not who he's looking for. He puts his gun back in his holster, disappoint weighing heavy.

"Sorry, Agent — "

Daniel didn't get a chance to really look her in the face yesterday, and what he did see was pale and feverish. She's looking significantly healthier today and he gets a moment to really study her features and he realizes with a start —

It's _her._

It's _Skye._

_Skye is Quake._

That's what Steve had admitted, right?

His hand comes up to Daisy's face and his thumb grazes the light scar on her upper cheekbone before she backs away quickly, shooting him an offended look. Daniel smiles smugly as he realizes he's found her, truly found Quake.

"C.I.A, huh?" Her eyes widen as she realizes he's got her all figured out. He grabs his gun from his holster again and lets his hand fall to his side. "It's nice to finally meet you, Skye. Or should I say, Quake?"

  
  
  
  
  


**4.  
** _(ch.3)_

  
  


Daniel walks into the computer room at a brisk pace. He hopes that Agent Johnson is in today, because he's heard that she's a bit of a hacking legend. He's going to need that if he's going to find Skye.

It seems that he's in luck.

Beside Agent Piper, there is another girl. He can't see her face well — she's got a hoodie covering almost the entirety of her pale face and her hand is covering her forehead. He grimaces a little as he recalls that she called in yesterday; she's probably still ill.

He can tell she's pale and sweating. He feels for her. Maybe he shouldn't have been so wishful for her return.

"You must be Agent Johnson," Daniel says when he approaches her, and she peaks through her fingers a little. He's standing right by her chair, looking right at her with a curious expression.

"That's me," she says softly.

He looks at her with concern, his brow scrunching a little. "Are you alright, Agent?"

"'m fine," Daisy says, burying her face a little more.

"So, Agent Piper said you're the best when it comes to computers," Daniel says. "Can I get you to use the Google to search for someone for me?"

Daisy can't help to look at him incredulously. "Did you just say, ' _the Google'_?" she asks him, her mouth ajar. He only has a second to study her face before he frowns at her words.

She turns back away quickly, going back to holding her head to keep her face mostly out of view. "Am I not supposed to say it like that?" he asks genuinely.

She starts typing, looking into the database. "First of all, it's just Google. No 'the' in there. Second of all, there's no way any good agent would just use Google. We have law enforcement search databases for that sort of thing."

He's silent, staring at her intently. She's blunter than most. He appreciates it, honestly. Most people here just do what he says, not wanting to risk their jobs. He's a friendly Chief — definitely less of a hard-ass compared to Nick Fury — but he's still running half of a covert organization. Not many choose to be so blunt. He needs someone like that on his side.

Eventually, he just says, "I don't know much about computers, honestly. Usually, I don't do these kinds of investigations."

"Why this time?" she asks quietly. He thinks about his answer. It's a valid question. He usually doesn't do all this hands-on investigation these days. He's far too busy filling out paperwork or going out into the field to speak to reporters on the scene. He has a base filled with agents that do the investigating for him.

Yet, when it comes to Skye, he finds that secrecy may be his best choice. There's no knowing where this infiltrator has eyes and ears, and when he finds her, he hopes that he can convince her to be an agent for him. One that not even S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about — a secret from the Watchdogs.

"It's complicated," he responds after a minute. "Just need your discretion on this."

He takes out the piece of paper from his coat pocket. It's the one where he drew a photo of Skye with plenty of little notes. The fake name, her features, the way she talked, the things she said...

"Can you find her?" Daniel asks.

He notices that Agent Johnson is staring at the drawing intensely. Her fingers are shaking a little — she must be in even worse shape than he thought.

"Yeah," she says, her voice congested.

He stares at her a little more. He sees her face peeking out of her hoodie slightly, her eyes glazed over a bit as she stares at the photo.

Daniel feels like there's something awfully familiar about her. He can't quite place it.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" he asks her.

"I've been at S.H.I.E.L.D. for a while now, I guess."

He must've seen her pass by once or twice, then.

There's a lot of agents at this base. There's a couple of meetings that bring everyone together in one room, but otherwise, he only interacts with some of the higher-ups. He notes, though, that Agent Johnson seems to be highly respected and extremely talented. Maybe she should get a promotion.

Daniel places a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Agent Piper said you were out yesterday," he informs her. "Maybe you came back too soon. Get some rest, Agent Johnson."

He's about to leave, but there's something odd about the way she's breathing. She lets out the smallest little hiss as he lets her shoulder go and he frowns.

"Something wrong with your shoulder?" Daniel asks, a little suspicious.

Captain America is in the S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital with extremely similar symptoms — short of breath, sweating, fever, headache...

The shoulder he was just pressing on is exactly where Quake was stabbed last night.

"No," Agent Johnson answers quickly.

Daniel leans forward to look her in the face and —

It's Skye.

And _Quake?_ Maybe?

"C.I.A, huh?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

Her eyes widen as she realizes she's been found out. Defeated, she puts her hoodie down.

"Give us a minute, Agent Piper," he says loudly, not taking his eyes off of Agent Johnson. He hears her scuffle out of the room. "Let's take a look at that shoulder, then," he says with a short nod.

"There's nothing — "

"Captain America is currently being treated for a special Watchdog poison," Daniel tells her. Her mouth opens in shock. "Now, either you can be difficult until you drop dead, or you can confirm my suspicions and go get treated."

Agent Johnson lets out a little exhale before unzipping her jacket and pushing her shirt aside. She does it painfully, so he helps a little, grimacing at the poor bandaging.

So, this is Quake.

  
  
  
  
  


**5.  
** _(ch.5)_

  
  


Daniel immediately slaps the agent in handcuffs after he confronts her. She knows she's busted — she doesn't even try to fight.

He wonders why this girl would break into her own organization. Why target him?

Taking her into the S.H.I.E.L.D. base is tricky. He wants her as a part of his Watchdog team, which means discretion. Her being an agent makes things more difficult, because now, she'll be recognized by just about everyone she passes from the technical side of S.H.I.E.L.D.

He holds her close, her back to his chest, trying to obscure the cuffs. It's the best way to keep things low-profile.

"What are you doing?" Agent Johnson asks, yelping a bit as he basically hovers over her, his mouth right by her ear.

He pauses, realizing the totally incorrect implications of their positioning. "Just trying to save you from the embarrassment," he tells her. "No one has to see the cuffs."

"Small mercies," she grumbles, but he can tell that she appreciates it as she relaxes a little.

It works, for the most part. Most people pay no attention as he walks her forward. They seem like two friends, arriving back from a lunch break. The agents walk by as they filter through the crowd. 

That is, until they run into Dr. Simmons.

Johnson stiffens against him as she runs forward.

"Daisy!" Simmons calls out, immediately noticing that she was being brought in as a hostile. She desperately looks up at Daniel, placing her tiny self in front of them in an effort to stop him. He realizes, very quickly, that the two young women must be friends.

"Chief Sousa, you can't have Daisy arrested! She's done nothing wrong! Well, she's hid a few things from S.H.I.E.L.D, but it's all just to take down the Watchdogs — "

"Jemma!" Johnson manages to interrupt her babbling. "It's okay — "

"No," Daniel interjects Agent Johnson firmly. "You don't get to talk right now."

"Chief, please," Simmons pleads desperately. "I was upset when I found out as well — I still am — but she kept it secret for good reason!"

"Jemma — "

Daniel blinks at the utter audacity. "What she did was illegal," he says through his teeth, his impatience getting the better of him.

"Being a super isn't illegal!" Simmons blurts out.

_Huh?_

Agent Johnson suddenly goes very still against him.

_A super?_

"What the hell are you talking about?" Daniel asks.

"Okay, maybe Quake did a _few_ illegal things," Simmons tries to reason. "But as I said, she did it to bring down the Watchdogs!"

"Jemma," Johnson warns as Daniel's mind nearly explodes.

The girl who broke into his office — the agent known for being the best hacker in S.H.I.E.L.D. — is Quake?

"This," he begins to ask as he pushes Johnson forward a little, "is Quake?"

"He just thought I was pretending to be C.I.A," Johnson whispers harshly.

"Oh," Jemma squeaks, her eyes getting amazingly wide. "Is there any chance we can just...forget what I was just saying?"

A small smile forms on Daniel's face. "I'm afraid that isn't possible, Agent Simmons."

"Right," she says slowly, frown forming.

Johnson, or _Quake,_ groans.

  
  
  
  
  


**6.  
** _(ch.6)_

  
  


Daniel enjoys having Daisy on his team. She's fun and says what she means and she's pretty and —

He scolds his mind a little for thinking about her attractiveness. _Again._ He finds himself, against his will, thinking about it a lot.

But, anyway, the point is that he likes her company.

And he most definitely likes pushing her buttons as a total Quake fangirl.

"Quake," he breathes out as they play the news on silent on the T.V. "What kind of nickname is Quake?"

"A super one," she says with a hint of annoyance, typing on her computer without missing a beat.

"Yeah, but," he continues, turning his chair to face her, a smug smile forming, "do you hear how ridiculous it sounds? Quake?"

Daisy looks up from her computer to glare at him a little. "So, what? All the supers have odd names. Why not go after Iron Man? Scarlet Witch? Even Captain America is just plain ego — no offense, Steve."

"None taken," Steve replies quickly from the opposite side of the room.

"Yeah, but _Quake._ That's even worse," Daniel says with a raised eyebrow.

"Why? Because it's got a sexual connotation?"

Daniel's eyes widen. That was _not_ what he meant.

"You got a dirty mind, Chief?" Daisy asks, a growing smile replacing her annoyance.

"What, no!" he protests quickly.

"What's dirty about 'Quake'?" Steve asks, genuinely confused.

Daisy's grin is purely malicious, now. And a little bit sultry. It should be illegal. "Well," she draws, keeping her eyes pointedly at Daniel as he swallows. "If you fuck a girl good enough — "

"Okay, I think we've heard enough," Daniel interrupts suddenly, heat filling up his face. Steve looks rather scandalized as well. Mack, on the other hand, is just silently laughing.

"You're the one who brought it up," Daisy says with a shrug.

Daniel's jaw drops. "You're the one who made it...that!" he argues. "I just think it's a strange name. That's all!"

"He does have a point," Mack pipes up.

Daisy's annoyed look pops up again. "I'm not the one who chose it," she grumbles unhappily.

Daniel frowns a little. "Of course you didn't choose it," he points out, slightly puzzled. "Why would you have?"

She freezes, avoiding his gaze. "Uh, just a figure of speech."

He knows avoidance tactics, and she's using every single one of them.

"You know," Steve interrupts, his voice a little high-pitched, "I saw a — "

And everything about Quake and Daisy swirls around in his head.

"You've got to be kidding me," he groans. "Seriously?"

Daisy looks up at him with a sheepish shrug. "Surprise?"

  
  
  
  
  


**7.  
** _(ch.7)_

  
  


It's late at night when he hears a frantic knocking at his door. He doesn't get many visitors, so he's a little surprised, and a little suspicious.

Daniel opens the door cautiously, gun hidden behind his back, only to see Daisy on the other side.

"Hey," she says as she barges in. "I was gonna go to Robbie's, but you're closer. You have a S.H.I.E.L.D-issued laptop, right?"

"Come on in," he says sarcastically as he shuts the door. She's already rifling through his things.

"I'm assuming it's buried somewhere, or in storage," she comments as she goes through his drawers.

"Stop that," he scolds, pushing her away gently from his things. He really doesn't need her going through his underwear or something. "I'll get you the laptop, just stop invading my privacy."

Daisy smiles a bit awkwardly. "Sorry," she apologizes guiltily. "I'm just anxious to figure this out."

"Figure what out?" he asks as he grabs the laptop. It's quite dusty; he hasn't really ever used it since he got it.

"I think I got Ghost Rider's identity," she tells him bluntly.

Daniel's eyes widen and he hands her the laptop. She's quick to flip it open and start typing. Then, she looks at him, almost offended.

"Jeez, no password? I really gotta teach you something about cybersecurity."

As she types, he notices that she has bruises forming on her wrists. Her longer sleeves makes it hard to tell the extent, but it covers the skin that peeks through.

This, on top of the bruising on her neck?

He sits by her gently as she types. He opens his mouth, about to speak, when —

"Got it," she announces, and his eyes turn to the computer instead. She clicks play.

"Holy fuck," she whispers.

"Language!" he whispers back, right before he realizes why she's resorted to such profanities.

That's Robbie Reyes on the screen. Her boyfriend.

"The Ghost Rider is your boyfriend?" Daniel asks, looking at her incredulously.

"I didn't know!" she protests. "What the fuck! Robbie!"

Daisy is about to shut the computer when Daniel starts reversing the footage instead.

"What are you doing?" she asks, panicking a little. "How do you know how to do that? You barely know what a computer is!"

Daniel shoots her an offended look. "That's not accurate or nice," he says. He knows what a computer is. He knows the basic gist of how it works. He can work around security tapes.

(Mainly from watching Daisy, but that's besides the point.)

"Honestly, there's no need — " she insists, but it's too late.

Daniel watches as the Ghost Rider knocks Quake's mask off of her and it shows her true identity.

An identity that seems to have short, brown hair and the exact clothes that Daisy is wearing right now.

His head turns to her in record speed, his mouth open.

Daisy mouth swishes as she looks between Daniel and the computer.

"Can we count this as me telling you, so you don't arrest me for concealing my identity?" she asks, blinking little doe eyes at him.

He gives her an unimpressed look.

  
  
  
  
  


**8.  
** _(ch.8)_

  
  


Daniel answers his ringing phone, and is immediately bombarded by the panicked voice of Jemma Simmons. "Daisy's gone after Ghost Rider! But she doesn't know it's Ghost Rider; she doesn't know it's Robbie!"

"Slow down," Daniel pleads, not understanding any of that. Except the fact that Daisy is in danger. "What's Daisy doing?"

Fitz takes the phone. "Jemma thinks that Robbie is the Ghost Rider," he says slightly more coherently.

"Daisy's boyfriend Robbie?"

Simmons screams, "Yes!" as Fitz says, "Supposedly!"

"Daisy got footage of the Ghost Rider transforming," Simmons cries out. "She's gone to Robbie's to get her computer!"

_That's not good,_ Daniel thinks. "Text me the address, I'll meet you there," he says quickly before hanging up.

-

FitzSimmons is carrying an odd object when he arrives. The car screeches to a halt as he slams on the breaks right in front of the car.

"We weren't sure if to wait or to go in or — "

"Waiting was a good idea," Daniel assures. He preps his gun. "They're inside?"

"W-we think so," Fitz nods.

Daniel starts stalking toward the door, gun ready, as FitzSimmons stay close behind him. Simmons lifts her hand, as if to knock on the door. With a free hand, Daniel grabs her wrist, shaking his head quickly.

What is this girl thinking?

She bows her head, sheepishly, as Daniel slowly turns the knob. It's unlocked.

The house is silent, seemingly empty. He sighs as he lowers his gun a little.

"Daisy? You in there?" Simmons calls out. Daniel inhales deeply as he closes his eyes, rolling them slightly. He lifts up his gun, once again at the ready.

Sure enough, a flaming head comes at them quickly. Daniel shoots, then shoots again, and again, before he's tossed to the side.

The Ghost Rider grabs the strange weapon and Jemma screams and the room shakes violently, then Daisy quite literally flies into the room.

"What the bloody hell?" Fitz exclaims.

Daisy's hand is thrust forward and pulses for only a second as she collapses forward slightly, breathing in relief.

But Daniel saw. He saw. She quaked.

  
  
  
  
  


**9.  
** _(ch.9)_

  
  


"Stay here and wait for Mack. I'll go find Jemma and Cap." Daniel opens his mouth, but before he can even say anything, Daisy explains, "Look, you obviously aren't going to trust Robbie alone, and I know the way to the labs probably better than anyone because I'm always sneaking off to see Jemma and Fitz. I'll be back in no time."

Daniel hesitates. "What if the Watchdogs find you?"

"I'll handle it," she says simply.

It's not that he doubts her capabilities. He read all about the Calvary, who is basically her adopted mother. He knows that she likely has the training to defend herself. But there's still safety in numbers.

"We expanding the team?" Mack asks casually as he strolls in, unaware of all the chaos.

"Nah, man," Robbie replies, almost regretfully.

"He's the Ghost Rider," Daniel supplies dully.

Mack blinks, raising an eyebrow. He looks at Robbie, who stares pointedly at the floor with a small shrug. "Damn, that Charger," Mack says. "Should've seen it earlier."

"The base is under attack by the Watchdogs," Daisy adds. "And I have to go."

"Wait," Daniel protests. "I'm coming with you."

"But — "

"Mack will look after the Ghost Rider," he says pointedly, looking at Mack. He shrugs, agreeing.

"Fine," Daisy says, scrunching her nose unhappily. "Let's go, then."

With that, they're off.

Daniel stays ahead of her, hand cautiously on his gun. Everyone seems to be walking around, unaware, which makes their job fairly easy. They just have to make it to the labs, and quick, before they find any trouble.

And then it all goes to hell.

Three agents — who actually turn out to not be agents — raise their guns and shoot.

Daniel manages to send one down before Daisy throws her hand forward and the men going flying. He only has a second to look at her to double check if that really just happened, if Daisy just outed herself as Quake, before he notices the men are starting to get up.

"I'll explain later," she says. "Let's go."

They run as fast as they can until they get to the labs. It's been cleared out, the scientists seemingly evacuated. As soon as they shut the door and have a moment to themselves, Daniel wants to question her on the whole Quake thing, but the words die on his tongue as he sees Daisy peel her sleeves back.

Her arms are hurt. Bad.

He's at her side in seconds, taking her arms delicately into his hands as she hisses lightly.

"This looks broken," he says, trying to gently lead her to a place to sit.

"Not broken," she insists. "Just multiple small fractures."

"That's not much better."

Daisy sits on the stool, and Daniel sits beside her. He inspects her arms a little more closely.

"Is this from your powers?" he asks pointedly, looking her in the eyes. She nods softly. "Is that why you have gauntlets?"

"They give me a place to direct the quakes," she says quietly, "other than my arms."

Daniel stares at her for a while. He pushes her hair behind her ears. "Well, we better get you patched up, then, huh?"

Daisy's eyes widen. "That's it?" she asks. "You're not gonna arrest me or something?"

After a second of silence, he answers, "We can talk about it after you're healed up."

  
  
  
  
  


**10.  
** _(time-jump)_

  
  


Daniel can't help but contain the shock on his face when Quake collapses into his arms.

She's hurt. Like, really hurt. He only had a second to process the giant gash across her stomach before she fell into him.

"I tried to get to Jemma," she whispers, tears falling. "I couldn't — "

"Save your energy," he says as he pulls her into his apartment. He's trying really hard to stay calm and collected, but she's bleeding out in front of him and he can tell she's fading fast. He sets her body down on the couch before finding his med kit.

He has a little bit of experience with this from the war. After the incident that lost him his leg, he was pulled out of the action. He spent a lot of time in the field hospitals, helping the medics. He can handle a few stitches.

Except this is a lot more than a few stitches.

Blood is still flowing out of her and he curses, "Shit."

"I've never heard you cuss before," she says with a small smile before crying out in pain again. He presses a blanket to her wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

"You've never heard me say much of anything," he points out, a little alarmed by her wording. She whimpers as he presses the cloth harder. "Stay with me."

It becomes glaringly obvious that he's not going to be able to do much more with the suit on. She seems to have the realization the same time that he does, because she groans as she throws her head back.

"Hey, hey," he whispers reassuringly, pushing the purple hair out of her face. "I'm gonna have to take off the suit," he tells her. She shakes her head a little desperately, so he pushes, "It'll stay between us. I won't do anything. But you're gonna bleed out if you keep being stubborn."

Quake begins to cry for some reason, but she nods. "I'm sorry," she whispers quietly as she pushes on her mask, and her suit disengages.

Daniel freezes as he realizes that it's Daisy Johnson that's dying on his couch. Panic seizes his chest as the nameless super suddenly transforms into the woman he's pretty sure he's falling in love with. It's Daisy's blood that's soaking his hands in red. It's Daisy's face that's turning whiter and whiter by the minute. It's Daisy's eyes that begin to flutter close as she begins to lose consciousness —

"Daisy!" he yells out, shaking her roughly. She inhales violently as she's roused back awake. "Stay with me, Daisy," he begs desperately.

She grabs hold of his hand weakly, gripping it with all the strength that she can muster. "I'm right here."

  
  
  
  
  


**11.  
** _(time-jump)_

  
  


A mission goes very wrong and he's left with a hole in his chest. He thinks the bullet missed his heart, or he'd be dead already, but his chances are still looking fairly slim. He feels himself fading quickly.

"Daisy," he whispers into the comms. He called for her the second he went down, and her frantic voice had told him that help was coming. "Daisy," he whispers again as he slumps. He's not even sure what he's trying to say. She already knows he's dying. Is he trying to get an update? Is he trying to say the words he's been too scared to tell her, but now it's his last chance? His brain is too muddled to know.

"Daniel!" a voice cries out, and he feels as his body is lifted into someone's arms.

_Daisy?_

He forces his eyes to open to see Quake holding onto him desperately. He's almost disappointed — he was hoping to see Daisy one last time. But, with Quake here, maybe it means he'll survive another day.

"Daisy," he whispers again, feeling like a broken record.

"I'm right here," Quake whispers back, one of her hands grazing the side of his face while her thumb swipes his cheek affectionately. "I'm right here, okay, Daniel? Just hold on."

-

It's not until Daniel wakes up in the hospital, his brain clear, that he realizes exactly what Quake was telling him.

He feels a light weight on the side of the bed and he cranes his neck a little to see Daisy in a chair beside him, holding his hand, head slumped in the spot that his leg would be. She wakes up slowly, eyes blinking at she realizes he's conscious again.

Daisy rises suddenly, crowding his space to caress his face. "I told you," she whispers. "I'm right here."

Daniel smiles.

  
  
  
  
  


**12.  
** _(ch.11)_

  
  


In retrospect, it really doesn't take much for Daisy to change Daniel's mind on the order of things. Not when she's rolling her hips against his like that.

(It's miraculous that they made it to the bed, after that. Their clothes are in various areas around the room. There's a shirt on the couch, a bra thrown onto the lamp, another shirt in the kitchen...

Finally sinking into her when they fell onto the bed had been the best feeling in the world.)

Daisy moves desperately on top of him, chasing her own release. He sits up to kiss her wherever he can reach — her lips, her neck, her cheek, her jaw, her brow, her eyelids —

_What in the hell..?_

Daniel knows the second she comes, because he feels her legs quiver tightly around his hips as she gasps loudly. But, he notices after a second, that it's not just her body that's quaking. It's the whole goddamn room.

He probably wouldn't have noticed, of course, if it weren't for the fact that _her eyes are glowing._

Daisy's breathing hard as she comes down, her hips still tilting back and forth lightly. It takes a second, but she seems to comprehend the dumbstruck look on his face as the glow fades and the shaking subsides, and her eyes widen in realization.

"Shit!" she exclaims as she gets off of him and scrambles off the bed. "SHIT!"

"You're Quake?" he asks incredulously. _Seriously?_

Daisy starts to gather her clothes a little frantically. She finds her underwear, and then her bra. He's just stuck staring at her in awe from the bed. Had that really just happened?

(He tries not to feel smug about the fact that he literally made her quake. He's got other things to worry about.)

"Oh my god," she whispers, mostly to herself, as she jumps into her pants. "I can't believe that just fucking happened."

"You're Quake," he repeats. Then, he laughs. "I should've known."

He gets up, calmly, and puts on his clothes. She pauses the search for her shirt to blink at him. "Aren't you, like, gonna arrest me?"

"Maybe," he replies lightly. But certainly not right this second. Not when they're both half-naked. Not after he explored her body with his tongue. Not right after they had mind-blowing (and eye-glowing, apparently) sex. "Do you always do that when you..."

He gestures to his eyes and she glares. "Fuck you," is all she says as she resumes the desperate search for the missing shirt.

Maybe it's the fact that he didn't have a chance to get off before she quaked that's doing the thinking right now, but he sure hopes she doesn't find her shirt. "You just were," he points out.

Yup, definitely the lingering horniness that's speaking.

She shoots him another glare. And then she yells out in frustration, "Where the fuck is my shirt?"

"I think I threw it in the kitchen," Daniel informs her. And then he immediately wishes he didn't tell her that, because she runs to the kitchen and gives a victory yell. Then, she runs to the door, wearing a shirt.

_Oh, well._

Right before she exits, though, she turns to him. "I don't," she tells him quietly. "I mean, the glowing thing. It's not usually a thing that happens. I think it's only when I have an emotional connection with someone."

With one last longing look, Daisy closes the door behind her, leaving Daniel to decipher her words and their meaning on his own.

  
  
  
  
  


**13.  
** _(ch.12)_

  
  


"What the hell?" Daisy seethes as she storms into the room.

Daniel sighs, his hand coming up to his forehead to rub it in annoyance. He should've expected this.

"What the hell, Sousa!" Daisy repeats, stopping a few feet away from him. She's reverted back to his last name — this can't be good. "Did you really just threaten Jemma?"

His jaw goes slack. "Did _I_ threaten her? She is the one who said she's gonna reveal the truth about Captain America. She's lucky she didn't get escorted out in handcuffs!"

"Because you're forcing her to out Quake!" she objects hotly.

He has to keep himself from rolling his eyes because, "Oh, this again. You and your obsession with Quake."

Daisy recoils. " _My_ obsession? _You're_ the one who can't let her go."

"It's my job, Daisy!" he bellows, nearly exploding. "She's a criminal!"

"She's saving lives!"

"She's running around with another vigilante who's leaving burn victims left and right!" Daniel retorts. "She steals from banks! She takes down buildings and bridges! She destroys everything in her path!" Why doesn't she get it?

"So, you're just gonna arrest her?"

Daniel hesitates. "Only if she won't work with S.H.I.E.L.D. We just need to make sure she's doing things above-board like all the other supers out there. Just like Robbie."

Daisy huffs out a little bit of air, calming herself. Slowly, she says, "Have you considered the reason I'm against this is not because of some _obsession_ I have, but because the last time S.H.I.E.L.D. had come to a super unwanted, my mother ended up imprisoned by a psycho who cut her to pieces?"

Guilt creeps up Daniel's spine. It crushes against him painfully as he recalls how finding out about her biological mother had explained a lot about her stances on the supers and the Watchdogs. He should've understood why she was so upset immediately, but he had been too in his own head to think about her feelings.

He steps forward, his brow scrunching.

"It's not like that — "

"Jemma was right to keep it from you," Daisy continues steadily, her eyes staring daggers. "You have no clue who Quake is or what she's risking to be who she is. She could be standing right in front of you, and you wouldn't even know it. If Jemma's keeping it a secret, it's for good reason."

She stares at him in challenge and Daniel narrows his eyes. Suspiciously, he asks, "Do _you_ know who Quake is? You knew who Cap was. Have you been lying to me, too?"

Daisy winces, her eyebrows tilting into an offended expression. "You know, for someone so smart, you're so fucking stupid."

"Excuse me?" he scoffs.

"Put me in the chair, Daniel, I dare you," she sneers out. "You'll ignore the truth anyway. You always have."

Daniel blinks as he considers her words. He steps back, as if slapped.

"Yeah," she comments tiredly. "Go ahead, then. Arrest me."

"Why — Why didn't you just tell me?" he whispers desperately. Why would she keep something so huge from him. He would've helped her.

"Why would I?" she snaps back, turning around and leaving before he can stop her.

  
  
  
  
  


**14.  
** _(ch.12)_

  
  


Daniel finds her, even while she's tucked in a small storage closet that she likes to hide out in. It took him a good deal of time to find her, but he needed to.

"Hi," he says quietly after she registers his presence. "Things have kind of gone off the deep end."

"I've noticed," she responds with a sigh. "Anything I can do to help?"

Daniel stares at her for a long moment before clearing his throat. "Uh, I'm going to New York to help Quake figure all this out."

Quake told him not to tell anyone else, yet here he was, telling her. He doesn't think he can do this without her. Not anymore. Somehow, since meeting her, he feels like he can't let her go. She's his partner in this mess, now.

"Quake, huh?" Daisy says, her tone dull and uninspired.

"Yeah," he says, fiddling with his cane for a second. Then, he requests, "Come with me."

Her head shoots up sharply. "What?"

"There's some kind of tech," Daniel explains. "I think your computer expertise may really help us. God knows I will know nothing."

"Did Quake tell you that?" she asks.

He gives her a dull smile. "Nah," he tells her. "She actually said not to tell anyone. But you're not just anyone. I trust you."

It's silent for a minute, Daisy staring at him.

"We'll need to have a rain-check on that drink," he jokes lightly, with a small laugh and a boyish grin. "Maybe we'll get a chance in New York."

"No," she replies dully.

He doesn't immediately understand, and the positive expression sticks on his face. "I mean, I definitely won't be able to make it tonight — "

"We're not getting that drink, Daniel," she clarifies, voice thick with regret.

He freezes, his mind running through their earlier argument. He feels his heart pang painfully as he realizes she's calling it off — ending whatever was going on between them for a brief week.

"Oh," he responds finally.

He lets out another laugh, but this one is more dark and ironic. "Yeah," he says, rationally, "I guess I deserve that."

He wonders if she can hear his heart shatter.

"Daniel..." she starts helplessly. "I am sorry."

"No, no," he reassures her as he rubs the back of his neck, "I get it. I'm the one who's sorry. I didn't mean..."

Daisy looks down.

"I, uh," he clears his throat awkwardly, "The Quinjet's leaving soon. I guess we can talk about it on the way, if there's even anything more to talk about."

"No, I'm not going," she says quickly.

Daniel frowns. "I'm sorry, Daisy," he tells her, "but I'm not just asking. This is an order from your Chief. I need you."

Daisy swallows. "I just...I just can't," she replies. "You're asking me as my boss, but I need to ask as your _friend_ to not make me go."

He stares at her for a moment, conflicted.

Had she really been that hurt by their argument? He knows he messed up. He knows he royally screwed up whatever chances he had with her.

But now she's looking at him like he's utterly broken her heart. Like she can't stand the sight of him without breaking.

Yes, he knows he screwed up, but he doesn't know what he's done that would hurt her like this. There has to be something else.

"I just think we need to spend some time apart," she finishes pathetically, holding back a sob. "Please."

Daniel steps toward her. She takes a step back.

"Daisy," he whispers, a little bit desperate. "There's something else going on, isn't there?"

"No," she insists, shaking her head quickly. "I just...I need some room to breathe. Think about us."

He inhales deeply, closing his eyes. "Please don't lie to me," he says.

"I'm — I'm not — "

Daisy seems to be at a loss for words as he approaches. She lets a tear fall as he reaches a hand to her face, waiting until she nods before he makes contact, brushing the tear away. "It's you, isn't it? You're Quake."

Her eyes find his as she lets out a shaky exhale. "Yes."

Daniel tugs her forward suddenly, pulling her into him in a close embrace. Her arms immediately come around him, holding him close. He kisses her hair, inhales her scent, and whispers, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean — "

"No, no," she interjects, pulling away quickly. "I wanted to tell you. I just...I didn't know how."

"Because I was an idiot," he supplies, the corners of his lips tugging up into a smile. "I didn't mean to..."

He trails off, not sure how to finish the sentence. Truthfully, he did mean it. If it were any other person, he probably would've dragged Quake into the base with handcuffs.

Daisy changes the whole equation.

In the end, he doesn't need to say anything, because Daisy seems to understand. She pulls him by the shirt down to meet her lips and he responds with all the passion he has.

  
  
  
  
  


**15.  
** _(ch.13)_

  
  


When Quake kisses him, he doesn't know what to do.

His first instinct, of course, would be to knock her off of him. He almost does, of course, his hands going straight to her shoulders to push her away, but something keeps him from doing so.

Daniel sits there, still frozen, as Quake pulls away, still close. The kiss was short, hard to judge any sort of vibe from.

"Sorry," Quake whispers. She's still pressed against him, and he can feel her breath against his lips. "I didn't know I was gonna do that."

Something strange overcomes him and he leans down to capture her lips again. His brain is screaming at him that this is wrong, he's in love with someone else, but then he quickly realizes exactly why he's craving this kiss.

Quake's mouth feels like Daisy's.

It's not a comparison, really, rather than a full-blown exactness. Kissing Quake is _exactly_ like kissing Daisy, down to the feel of her lips, the way her tongue swipes against his, how her hands come up his chest to rest at the junction his neck meets his shoulders. There's no messy clashes of their nose, unlike most first kisses where they need to find a rhythm. The rhythm is already there, familiar and needy.

Now, Daniel's kissed a fair share of women in his life. Enough to know that this level of similarity is not normal.

He pushes Quake away suddenly, just as her hands begin to wander, and breathes deeply.

_What._

_The._

_Hell._

  
  
  
  
  


**16.  
** _(ch.6 / ch.13)_

  
  


Daniel quickly finds that Daisy is a computer master. He's heard that she's one of the best hackers out there, but it still surprises him every time he sees her hands fly across the keyboard, finding information within seconds. She hacks into Pierce's accounts, which looked extremely easy based on her relaxed stance and casual texting as she was doing it. But once he sees Steve and Mack looking at her in awe, he realizes that Daisy is probably a genius.

He finds himself growing attached to the rhythm of her typing. It's only been a week, but he finds any room he steps into too quiet.

But it can't just be any typing. It has to be _her_ typing. Her quick keystrokes, tapping consistently and slamming. It's not exactly the most relaxing sound, but it's becoming music to Daniel's ears.

-

Quake is quick to get to work on the complex encryption under Daniel's watchful eye. It's not that he doesn't trust her — well, he _doesn't_ trust her, but that's not why he's looking at her with such interest.

Now, he doesn't know all that much about computers and hacking, but he knows a lot about Daisy. And Quake types the exact same way that Daisy does.

He knows the rhythm of how her fingers hit the keys. He knows how long she goes on until she takes a two-second break. He knows the way her nails tap when she's thinking or waiting, when there's nothing currently to type. He knows when she's frustrated or tired.

Quake types the exact same way that Daisy does.

It's unnerving.

"So, Mary," he starts, "got a last name?"

"Are we really doing this again?" she mutters, her eyes staring at the screen.

"Just trying to be friendly," Daniel replies unhappily and Quake snorts.

She looks at him for a second before telling him, "It's Mary Sue Poots."

He laughs out loud, because it's hilarious. Mary Sue Poots. Imagine naming a child Mary Sue Poots. "That's a good one," Daniel says with a bit of a wheeze. At her pouting expression, his eyes widen. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Unfortunately," she mumbles.

"And you didn't think to change it?" he blurts out.

"I did!" she protests. "As soon as I left the orphanage!"

Which means...

As she gets back to typing, Daniel recalls how Daisy had been an orphan. She also had changed her name the second she escaped the nuns — started going by Skye. Something tells him that if he looked at Daredevil's files, he'd see the same orphanage name to make Daisy's.

_Huh._

  
  
  
  
  


**17.  
** _(ch.14)_

  
  


After a plan with the Starks is formed, Quake pauses for a second. "Daniel, wait," she says, carefully placing her hand on his arm. "I know you hate me, but I just need you to know — "

"I don't hate you," he says quickly. "I've been fascinated. You were a puzzle I've been trying to solve for a while now, but I think I've finally put the pieces together."

Quake scoffs. "I really doubt that."

He looks at her then, curious as to what's so important.

"Daniel, I have something to tell you," she says.

"So, say it," he replies impatiently, a little confused by the whole ordeal. Quake's clutching the sleeve of his shirt almost desperately, like she's dreading whatever she's about to reveal.

"We don't have all day!" Romanoff yells from a distance. Quake gives him a sad look before letting go of his arm, about to follow her, when Daniel twists his hand to grab her fingers before they're gone.

"Wait, what were you going to say?" he asks. "We can take a beat."

"If you didn't hate me before, you will now," she jokes lightly, even though the fear is evident in her eyes. "It's just...I can't keep lying to you."

He's not sure exactly why it matters to her. They barely know each other. He has a feeling she usually has no problem lying to people. It's part of her job description. And why would he hate her for telling the truth?

"I need to tell you who I am," she continues.

_Oh._

It's about _that._

"It's okay," Daniel assures. "I know. Stark told me."

Quake scrunches her brow. "He wouldn't..." Then, she shakes her head. "Daniel, you've got this all wrong. My name isn't Mary."

"But — "

"It's Daisy," she tells him quickly, before she can take it back. Daniel blinks.

His hand slips out of hers as he steps back. "What?"

"I can't keep it hiding it from you," she admits. "The more time we spend together, with me as Quake, the more unfair it is to you. When it was just you and _Daisy,_ it was different."

She's been lying to him for all this time.

His mouth presses into a hard line and his jaw goes slack.

"Agent Romanoff is waiting for us," he says harshly, looking past her.

The tears well up in her eyes. "Daniel," she pleads. "Can we please talk about it?"

"You've already said enough," he says before walking away.

  
  
  
  
  


**18.  
** _(ch.15)_

  
  


Quake breathes heavily for a second and Nathaniel grins. He really needs to stop doing that. His smug face is getting weird.

"Here's how it's gonna go," Nathaniel announces. "You'll come with us, take off that suit of yours — DNA matching, smart, by the way — and you'll let us take that blood of yours."

"Or you'll kill your girlfriend?" Quake asks with a raised eyebrow.

"No," Nathaniel says, "or _he_ will suck the life out of Danny Boy over there."

Before Daniel can even digest what that possibly could mean, Whitehall presses a hand against his shoulder and suddenly, he cannot breathe.

It feels like his soul is getting sucked out of him. His energy is draining and it hurts _so much._

"STOP!" Quake screams out. "Stop! I'll go with you, okay?"

Whitehall lets Daniel go and he gasps for air. He feels the energy returning to him, but his heart still seems like it's beating out of his chest. He presses his hand against the ground hard, just to feel _something._ To bring himself back to reality.

When he looks up, he sees Daisy's eyes, and for a second, he wonders if he died.

"Daisy?"

"You're going to be fine, okay?" she tells him, her hands fluttering around his face as she holds his head in her hands. "It's your turn to fight. So we can go home."

Daniel wonders briefly if she's an angel. Because she's supposed to be dead. He didn't save her.

But then he notices that Nathaniel Malick's holding onto the Quake mask behind her, and he's forcefully dragging Daisy away from him.

"Wait!" he calls out, twisting his body to reach out.

"Sorry, lover boy," Nathaniel taunts. "Time's up."

  
  
  
  
  


**19.  
** _(ch.15)_

  
  


Agent Romanoff stalks into the labs. She makes quick work of everyone. Daniel hears a series of grunts and groans and smashes.

Then, he feels the quaking.

Daniel hurries into the room, but to his surprise, he doesn't see Quake there.

He sees Nathaniel.

"My bones are cracking," he grits out as Daniel sees the bruises covering his body. And then the roof caves on top of him.

Daniel spins around and sees Steve carefully helping Daisy up from the medical table. Daniel can't help the sigh of immense relief as he sees that she's okay. She's _alive._

The tightness that has consumed his body since hearing about her death suddenly unwinds, and he nearly collapses into Steve as he tries to touch her, just to make sure she's real.

"Hey," he whispers quietly, a large smile spreading across his face.

"Hi," she replies back, gripping him like her life depends on it.

He pulls her close. "I thought I lost you," he confesses, the words heavy on his tongue. He doesn't know what he would've done if it were true.

"I'm okay," she assures him.

"Like hell, you are," Steve counters. "She's drugged up on that Watchdog poison. We gotta get her out of here before it takes."

Daniel brow furrows. "I thought that only affected supers."

It's quiet for a minute, and then Daniel looks around.

"Where's Quake?"

  
  
  
  
  


**20.  
** _(alt. ch.19)_

  
  


Daniel was sure that he was going to die. He had said goodbye to Daisy, holding both of her hands in his as he announced that he would be the one to go in. They all knew that whoever would go in wouldn't make it out.

He was lucky enough to have her kissing him deeply, pulling him closer and closer until they had to break apart for air. He regrets, more than anything, how things ended between them. He wishes that he had more time to make things right after he returned from New York. He was so relieved to find her alive in Whitehall's labs. He really thought that she had died. They hadn't had enough time to talk it through before Malick's timer ran out, but he savored their final kiss.

When Quake came to save him, he couldn't help but feel so thankful to have that time back.

(He was a little surprised to see her, of course. Daisy had said that Quake was dead, but when Malick went on live T.V. to challenge her to a duel, he assumed that Daisy had seen wrong.)

"Where's Daisy?" he asks when he reaches Simmons right outside the building.

"Quake — she went in," she rambles desperately. "She went to save you."

"She did," Daniel assures. "She got me out. Now, where's Daisy?"

"You don't understand," Simmons cries out. "Daisy's gone."

"Gone where?"

Simmons doesn't have time to respond, and Daniel doesn't have time to ponder her words before the building above them explodes. Simmons screams as Daniel throws his body over hers, shielding her from the falling debris.

When the storm calms, Daniel stands back up slowly. Simmons is still on the floor, sobbing and crying, almost curling into a ball as she rocks herself.

He wonders how close her and Quake her. He can't help but feel a slight bit of guilt as he looks at the rubble. There's no way Quake would have survived that.

_Daisy._

Daniel remembers his earlier concern. Daisy was supposed to be right here. She was supposed to be waiting for Simmons. Where had she gone?

"Simmons," he whispers as he crouches by her. "Where is Daisy?"

"Quake," she mumbles incoherently, looking haunted.

Kora runs up to them. "Where's Daisy?" she asks. Daniel shrugs, starting to get worried.

Where the hell had she gone?

"Quake," Simmons repeats. Kora looks at her, eyes wide. "She went in."

"No," Kora whispers, tears immediately springing into her eyes. She turns to Daniel. "She didn't."

Daniel gives her a short nod, frowning.

"There's a body!" someone yells. It's Iron Man who says it, and a random agent drags Quake out of the rubble.

Simmons screams and launches herself forward to grip onto the body as Kora stands in shock. She cries out as it hits her, but Iron Man grabs her firmly.

The panic sets in and Daniel falls to his knees.

He can't find Daisy, and he has a creeping feeling why. The dread of the possibility overcomes him, pressing against his heart excruciatingly.

Daniel crawls across the ground to Quake's lifeless body. Simmons is brushing the hair out of the super's face as she tries to steady her breathing and presses her lips to her forehead.

"Please, no," Daniel whispers. Simmons sends him a helpless look. "Tell me it's not her."

A tear falls from Simmons's eye. "I'm sorry."

"Please," he whispers cryptically. He doesn't know how Simmons understands, but she does. She presses a small area near Quake's temple and Daniel watches as the suit disengages. Time slows almost to a standstill while he begs the universe that it's anyone else, anyone but Daisy.

But it is. It's her. She's Quake. He feels the world spin madly around and turn upside down as his stomach churns. His reaches for her, his hands dragging across her cold skin.

Daniel cries above the broken body of Daisy Johnson.

  
  
  
  
  


**+  
** _(orig. ch.16)_

  
  


When Daisy falls asleep against his bare chest, Daniel's mind begins to wander.

He thinks that maybe he should've been harsher about the whole Quake thing. Undoing her handcuffs may have been a fatal mistake if she had any sort of malicious intentions. He gave her an escape, ignoring everything that a life with S.H.I.E.L.D. had taught him. But Daisy didn't kill him. She didn't even run.

There were so many opportunities she could've told him about Quake. So many times he should've figured it out himself.

He wonders if she thought about it. He wonders if the time and place would've made a difference.

Sometimes, there's talks about other worlds; parallel universes. A different timeline for every little decision you make, every word you say, every step you take.

Daniel is fairly sure he'd fall in love with Daisy Johnson in every single one.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there we have it. A total mess! I hope you all enjoyed it anyway.
> 
> Final chapter of You've Got That Power will be up tomorrow! Less than 24 hours. Then it's all over. Phew.
> 
> I appreciate all comments and reviews. Please feed me some!


End file.
